Anybody else suffering of SPA (Spotmatic Buying Addiction)?

vladimiroltean · 07-15-2011, 03:45 PM

(Just realized that I spelled the title wrong, can somebody replace SPA with SBA please?

)

Well, I saw the specs of the Nikon F2 recently, and I have to say that it's a cool camera, very professional, but to me it lacks elegance and is overdesigned. With the "standard" shutter speed range 1-1/1000, no mirror lockup (only via a hack), screw mount, mercury battery, light meter cell prone to failure, no motor drive, no interchangeable backs, focusing screens or pentaprisms, the Spotmatic may seem a camera for amateurs, and in fact it may actually be, but I'm simply in love with its shapes, sound, meter switch, needle and lenses. It's simply a classic. I love the design so much that I currently own two chrome SPII bodies, and can't wait to receive another black SP that I found for little money. Now every version of Spotmatic is great in its own way, but I really need to convince myself that I don't need anymore, specifically the 1964-first version, with the small switch (so damn nice, by the way). You know, the one that came with the 8-element 50mm Takumar. Oh, stop! I can already feel the disease overwhelming, making me drool for hours just staring at pictures, waiting for that SP to arrive in the mail

Anybody with me?

EDIT: I might make a table some day with every production model of the Spotmatic, I find the other one around here (die-cast pro I think) rather incomplete, but I will definitely need some more info from you guys.

Last edited by vladimiroltean; 07-21-2011 at 03:26 PM.

**gofour3** · 07-15-2011, 05:39 PM

Originally posted by kcobain1992

Well, I saw the specs of the Nikon F2 recently, and I have to say that it's a cool camera, very professional, but to me it lacks elegance and is overdesigned. With the "standard" shutter speed range 1-1/1000, no mirror lockup (only via a hack), screw mount, mercury battery, light meter cell prone to failure, no motor drive, no interchangeable backs, focusing screens or pentaprisms, the Spotmatic may seem a camera for amateurs, and in fact it may actually be, but I'm simply in love with its shapes, sound, meter switch, needle and lenses. It's simply a classic. I love the design so much that I currently own two chrome SPII bodies, and can't wait to receive another black SP that I found for little money. Now every version of Spotmatic is great in its own way, but I really need to convince myself that I don't need anymore, specifically the 1964-first version, with the small switch (so damn nice, by the way). You know, the one that came with the 8-element 50mm Takumar. Oh, stop! I can already feel the disease overwhelming, making me drool for hours just staring at pictures, waiting for that SP to arrive in the mail

Anybody with me?

EDIT: I might make a table some day with every production model of the Spotmatic, I find the other one around here (die-cast pro I think) rather incomplete, but I will definitely need some more info from you guys.

Almost, I suffer from a different strain called KBA. (K Series Buying Addiction)

Phil.

Coeurdechene · 07-15-2011, 06:21 PM

...the BA just start spreading, infecting, and there you see yourself drooling over a piece of equipment while your other half gives you "that" look most of us have grown to fear

.
Although i gotta say your specific BA is getting kind of fetishist

(no mean nuance intended there).
You gotta snap out of it before turning one of your house's room into a spotty museum where you'll sit for hours in the midst of those lovely, classy, slick....mmm...damm! gotta leave before you pass me on the SBA!

Courage with the battling of the Addiction.

magkelly · 07-15-2011, 10:19 PM

As everyone here probably knows I dearly love my pretty chrome and black SPII and I'm quite fond of my original SP too, though I have thought about selling that one now that I have my Ashai SPII. As of this moment I have my baby, my pristine Queenie and I also have an SP and two Honeywell SPII's in slightly less stellar condition. I also have a working P3 and a really dirty MS Super sitting in a box on the shelf to be worked at some point. I also have 2 Yashica SLR's and my K-x DSLR.

In no way am I bereft of extra cameras. I need a Black SPII like I need a hole in my wallet, but that's still not stopping me from drooling over the very idea of owning one. It's been a long time thing though so I can't be too hard on myself. I'm not really addicted to Spotties, per se. The SP's, they come and go. It's the SPII's that I have a serious thing for and that I can't seem to pass by whenever I see one at Goodwill.

I just happen to want a complete set of the SPII's that's all. I figure I've got the Ashai, I've got a Honeywell, so I should have an Ashai SPII in basic black too, right? I'd probably sell any of my SP's without too many regrets, but my Ashai SPII simply isn't for sale EVER and if I ever do get my paws on an Ashai black SPII it won't be either. That's kind of a holy grail thing for me that SPII and I suppose that sooner or later I'll just have to get me one even if it does mean I'd likely qualify for a Spotmatic 12 step program.

Believe me, I get it. It's just that my SPII love isn't an addiction. It's just my THANG. Other Spotties are nice too, but they're not SPII's and I will stop, when I finally get my black one. Really I will, lol.

:P

Last edited by magkelly; 07-15-2011 at 10:28 PM.

vladimiroltean · 07-21-2011, 03:03 PM

Finally:

noblepa · 07-21-2011, 06:00 PM

Love that black Spotmatic! I bought my first Spotmatic in 1967, when I was in high school. I washed a lot of dishes in several restaurants that summer. I genuinely lusted after the black version, with the 50mm lens, but that would have cost about $75 more than the $220 I ended up paying for my silver Spotmatic with the 55mm, f/1.8 Super Takumar. At $1.10 per hour (the minimum wage in 1967), it would have taken me a couple of more months to earn enough. I decided that the silver camera would take the same pictures as the black one and I could live without the extra half stop on the lens.

When I was saving for the Spotmatic, I looked at the Nikon F, as well. The Nikon is/was a truly great camera. I grew up watching UPI and AP photographers on the nightly news, jumping out of helicopters into Vietnamese rice paddies, with two or three Nikons around their necks. The Spotmatic wasn't built for that kind of abuse, although the build quality is very, very good, especially by today's standards. I decided I could live without interchangeable backs and viewfinders. The glass is what counts, and the Super Takumars of the time compared favorably to any lens on the planet. IIRC, the F was about $400, WITHOUT the Photomic ttl meter prism. So I opted for the Pentax.

I now own two Spotmatics. I finally got the 50mm, f/1.4 lens (two, in fact, one S-T and one S-M-C), but no black body, yet. I do have a black ES-II. I also have a Spotmatic F with a non-working meter.

I find the Spotmatic to be the most comfortable camera that I've ever held. It is the perfect size for my hands. Sometimes, even when I'm not going to use it, I like to take my 1967 Spotmatic (I still have it) down from the shelf and hold it. My left thumb and forefinger curl around the lens and my right hand wraps around the body with the shutter release in perfect position for my index finger. In short, the ergonomics are perfect.

The Spotmatic is also a very handsome camera. The design is emminently practical, while still being a work of art, in its own right. Every control is right where it needs to be and there is little in the way of ornamentation. Visually, its a little like the Chevy Corvette or the original Jaguar E-Type. The shape is perfect. No bling or decoration is required.

Banjo · 07-22-2011, 07:40 PM

I like all the Asahi Pentax manual camera bodies (and Takumar MF lenses), and have quite a collection.

Regarding the Spotmatics, my favourite is the SP-F, of which I have two and use regularly. It is always a temptation to aquire more as they crop up in the market place and requires a lot of will power to resist them.

Blue · 07-25-2011, 06:51 AM

I had a pre-spotmatic thing for a while.

**monochrome** · 07-26-2011, 11:24 AM

While my truly troubling compulsion orbits anything from the "K" era (and I really mean anything) lately I have become the local recycling center for M42 Pentax gear of all sorts. I think my wife rolls her eyes at kaffee klatches and mentions Pentax. Next thing I know there's a box of cranky Spotties and befungused Takumars on my doorstep, and a note that mentions something about a "good home."

One guy even included what he called parts cameras.

In a fit of guilt I recently restated my Forum Equipment List to reflect only what I would keep if I ever actually went to the trouble to make Marketplace listings.

Macario · 07-26-2011, 11:30 AM

Make it PBA (Pentax buying addioction)

Arjay Bee · 07-27-2011, 03:05 AM

H2, Spotmatic, SpotmaticII, ESII, K1000 (2), MG, MV, P30T, Ricoh KR10 (K mount), SFXn (2) - CBA? Nup - I can stop anytime ;-]. And friends have started passing them to me...

07-15-2011, 03:45 PM	#1
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465	Anybody else suffering of SPA (Spotmatic Buying Addiction)? (Just realized that I spelled the title wrong, can somebody replace SPA with SBA please? ) Well, I saw the specs of the Nikon F2 recently, and I have to say that it's a cool camera, very professional, but to me it lacks elegance and is overdesigned. With the "standard" shutter speed range 1-1/1000, no mirror lockup (only via a hack), screw mount, mercury battery, light meter cell prone to failure, no motor drive, no interchangeable backs, focusing screens or pentaprisms, the Spotmatic may seem a camera for amateurs, and in fact it may actually be, but I'm simply in love with its shapes, sound, meter switch, needle and lenses. It's simply a classic. I love the design so much that I currently own two chrome SPII bodies, and can't wait to receive another black SP that I found for little money. Now every version of Spotmatic is great in its own way, but I really need to convince myself that I don't need anymore, specifically the 1964-first version, with the small switch (so damn nice, by the way). You know, the one that came with the 8-element 50mm Takumar. Oh, stop! I can already feel the disease overwhelming, making me drool for hours just staring at pictures, waiting for that SP to arrive in the mail Anybody with me? EDIT: I might make a table some day with every production model of the Spotmatic, I find the other one around here (die-cast pro I think) rather incomplete, but I will definitely need some more info from you guys. Last edited by vladimiroltean; 07-21-2011 at 03:26 PM.

07-15-2011, 06:21 PM	#3
Coeurdechene Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: madrid Photos: Albums Posts: 833	...the BA just start spreading, infecting, and there you see yourself drooling over a piece of equipment while your other half gives you "that" look most of us have grown to fear. Although i gotta say your specific BA is getting kind of fetishist (no mean nuance intended there). You gotta snap out of it before turning one of your house's room into a spotty museum where you'll sit for hours in the midst of those lovely, classy, slick....mmm...damm! gotta leave before you pass me on the SBA! Courage with the battling of the Addiction.

07-26-2011, 11:24 AM	#9
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	While my truly troubling compulsion orbits anything from the "K" era (and I really mean anything) lately I have become the local recycling center for M42 Pentax gear of all sorts. I think my wife rolls her eyes at kaffee klatches and mentions Pentax. Next thing I know there's a box of cranky Spotties and befungused Takumars on my doorstep, and a note that mentions something about a "good home." One guy even included what he called parts cameras. In a fit of guilt I recently restated my Forum Equipment List to reflect only what I would keep if I ever actually went to the trouble to make Marketplace listings. Last edited by monochrome; 07-28-2011 at 10:34 AM.

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07-15-2011, 05:39 PM	#2
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,090	Originally posted by kcobain1992 Well, I saw the specs of the Nikon F2 recently, and I have to say that it's a cool camera, very professional, but to me it lacks elegance and is overdesigned. With the "standard" shutter speed range 1-1/1000, no mirror lockup (only via a hack), screw mount, mercury battery, light meter cell prone to failure, no motor drive, no interchangeable backs, focusing screens or pentaprisms, the Spotmatic may seem a camera for amateurs, and in fact it may actually be, but I'm simply in love with its shapes, sound, meter switch, needle and lenses. It's simply a classic. I love the design so much that I currently own two chrome SPII bodies, and can't wait to receive another black SP that I found for little money. Now every version of Spotmatic is great in its own way, but I really need to convince myself that I don't need anymore, specifically the 1964-first version, with the small switch (so damn nice, by the way). You know, the one that came with the 8-element 50mm Takumar. Oh, stop! I can already feel the disease overwhelming, making me drool for hours just staring at pictures, waiting for that SP to arrive in the mail Anybody with me? EDIT: I might make a table some day with every production model of the Spotmatic, I find the other one around here (die-cast pro I think) rather incomplete, but I will definitely need some more info from you guys. Almost, I suffer from a different strain called KBA. (K Series Buying Addiction) Phil.

07-15-2011, 10:19 PM	#4
magkelly Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,901	As everyone here probably knows I dearly love my pretty chrome and black SPII and I'm quite fond of my original SP too, though I have thought about selling that one now that I have my Ashai SPII. As of this moment I have my baby, my pristine Queenie and I also have an SP and two Honeywell SPII's in slightly less stellar condition. I also have a working P3 and a really dirty MS Super sitting in a box on the shelf to be worked at some point. I also have 2 Yashica SLR's and my K-x DSLR. In no way am I bereft of extra cameras. I need a Black SPII like I need a hole in my wallet, but that's still not stopping me from drooling over the very idea of owning one. It's been a long time thing though so I can't be too hard on myself. I'm not really addicted to Spotties, per se. The SP's, they come and go. It's the SPII's that I have a serious thing for and that I can't seem to pass by whenever I see one at Goodwill. I just happen to want a complete set of the SPII's that's all. I figure I've got the Ashai, I've got a Honeywell, so I should have an Ashai SPII in basic black too, right? I'd probably sell any of my SP's without too many regrets, but my Ashai SPII simply isn't for sale EVER and if I ever do get my paws on an Ashai black SPII it won't be either. That's kind of a holy grail thing for me that SPII and I suppose that sooner or later I'll just have to get me one even if it does mean I'd likely qualify for a Spotmatic 12 step program. Believe me, I get it. It's just that my SPII love isn't an addiction. It's just my THANG. Other Spotties are nice too, but they're not SPII's and I will stop, when I finally get my black one. Really I will, lol. :P Last edited by magkelly; 07-15-2011 at 10:28 PM.

07-21-2011, 03:03 PM	#5
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465 Original Poster	Finally:

07-21-2011, 06:00 PM	#6
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	Love that black Spotmatic! I bought my first Spotmatic in 1967, when I was in high school. I washed a lot of dishes in several restaurants that summer. I genuinely lusted after the black version, with the 50mm lens, but that would have cost about $75 more than the $220 I ended up paying for my silver Spotmatic with the 55mm, f/1.8 Super Takumar. At $1.10 per hour (the minimum wage in 1967), it would have taken me a couple of more months to earn enough. I decided that the silver camera would take the same pictures as the black one and I could live without the extra half stop on the lens. When I was saving for the Spotmatic, I looked at the Nikon F, as well. The Nikon is/was a truly great camera. I grew up watching UPI and AP photographers on the nightly news, jumping out of helicopters into Vietnamese rice paddies, with two or three Nikons around their necks. The Spotmatic wasn't built for that kind of abuse, although the build quality is very, very good, especially by today's standards. I decided I could live without interchangeable backs and viewfinders. The glass is what counts, and the Super Takumars of the time compared favorably to any lens on the planet. IIRC, the F was about $400, WITHOUT the Photomic ttl meter prism. So I opted for the Pentax. I now own two Spotmatics. I finally got the 50mm, f/1.4 lens (two, in fact, one S-T and one S-M-C), but no black body, yet. I do have a black ES-II. I also have a Spotmatic F with a non-working meter. I find the Spotmatic to be the most comfortable camera that I've ever held. It is the perfect size for my hands. Sometimes, even when I'm not going to use it, I like to take my 1967 Spotmatic (I still have it) down from the shelf and hold it. My left thumb and forefinger curl around the lens and my right hand wraps around the body with the shutter release in perfect position for my index finger. In short, the ergonomics are perfect. The Spotmatic is also a very handsome camera. The design is emminently practical, while still being a work of art, in its own right. Every control is right where it needs to be and there is little in the way of ornamentation. Visually, its a little like the Chevy Corvette or the original Jaguar E-Type. The shape is perfect. No bling or decoration is required.

07-22-2011, 07:40 PM	#7
Banjo Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 207	I like all the Asahi Pentax manual camera bodies (and Takumar MF lenses), and have quite a collection. Regarding the Spotmatics, my favourite is the SP-F, of which I have two and use regularly. It is always a temptation to aquire more as they crop up in the market place and requires a lot of will power to resist them.

07-25-2011, 06:51 AM	#8
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	I had a pre-spotmatic thing for a while.

07-26-2011, 11:30 AM	#10
Macario Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hoek van Holland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,393	Make it PBA (Pentax buying addioction)

07-27-2011, 03:05 AM	#11
Arjay Bee Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Horn Island, Torres Straits, Q Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,715	H2, Spotmatic, SpotmaticII, ESII, K1000 (2), MG, MV, P30T, Ricoh KR10 (K mount), SFXn (2) - CBA? Nup - I can stop anytime ;-]. And friends have started passing them to me...